UPDATED 10:25 A.M. — Rewritten throughout after speaking with Henderson County Judge Richard Sanders.
By Michael V. Hannigan
After speaking with County Judge Richard Sanders, I can report the following:
A bomb threat was called in to the 173rd District Court this morning around 8:30 a.m. The call was received by the bailiff. The caller said there was a bomb in the courthouse set to go off at 9 a.m.
The Sheriff’s Office immediately evacuated the building, and Sanders said everyone was out of the building by 8:45 a.m.
Obviously, there was no explosion at 9 a.m.
The Sheriff’s Office has contacted a bomb detection squad in Dallas which is bringing down a bomb dog to search the courthouse before it is reopened. The wait for the bomb squad is the reason for everything being shut down until between 1 and 2 p.m.
“Sheriff Nutt and his staff did an excellent job for the county,” Sanders said.
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Original post:
The Henderson County Courthouse was evacuated Monday morning because of a bomb threat. As of 9:30 a.m., Police had the Athens downtown square blocked off.
Pictured are staff members waiting in a nearby parking lot.
A courthouse staffer said they have been told the courthouse will be closed until at least 1 p.m. this afternoon.
The Courthouse Annex was not evacuated and is currently open to the public.
More details to follow on this story.